WHAT DOES THE HIT HAVE FOR US TODAY? It’s hot, the track is fast, will he beat Fatal BUllet in record time??? Dave Landry photo
SATURDAY MORNING///THOROUGHBLOG is back, the AUGUST/SEPT. ISSUE of CANADIAN THOROUGBRED is almost to press and its got some cool, cool stuff in it, such as a trip along with a yearling grader!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT WOODBINE
Lots of goofy results that’s what!
Yesterday was a freaky Friday and the day started off with a visit by jockey KRISTA CARIGNAN to the stewards to review the urging rules for racing.
The urging rules – whip rules, were put in place last summer regarding how high you can riase your arm, how many times in succession you can hit a horse, etc. CARIGNAN, the leading rider at Fort Erie, got herself into a pickle recently with a 4th violation of the rules which, according to the URGING RULES means an immediate suspension. So, she was taken off her horses at the Fort earlier this week until she met with the Deputy Director.
Incredibly, the Fort Erie jockeys decide not to pick up the mounts that Carignan was taken off, necessitating scratches. That is a sad example of how the jockeys can sometimes rule a track – not good.
Anyway, Carignan served three days and was back riding yesterday.
WALK SOFTLY, CARRY A ….Krista Carignan was at Woodbine yesterday
The bizarre results started in race 5 when ASCOT’S LEGEND won a non-winners of 3 for ONtario sired allowance guys after at least 12 previous attempts at the same level. This guy had now win since 2008, hadn’t really been close this year but there he was, driving up the rail to win at 34 to 1 on the turn back from a route to 7 furlongs. EMILE RAMSAMMY has been on a riding tear lately and he was getting on the guy for the first tme for Overheath Stable and trainer Mike DePaulo. He sizzled the distance in 1:22 4/5 – a 76 Beyer Figure.
The fun continued in the next race, a $40,000 claiming event that was won by another 34 to 1 shot, FORBIDDEN BEAR for Mike Catania and Cavalcanti Hume Inc. This guy just won for $20K on the Polytack but is bred for the grass and his 2 previous turf trues were a few years ago in longer races and in stakes. He was not impossible to like but gosh, he beat stakes winners like Michael’s Bad Boy and Just Rushing. He ran an 87 Beyer for 1:20.35 on the baked grass.
As for JUST RUSHING, the $400 he earned for being 6th got him a teensy bit closer to $1 million but gosh, this 9yo has been so much better and he is far from the horse he was.
Let’s hope this old guy will be taken care of soon before he slides down too far in class.
WINDANCER’S PRIDE, a 4yo first time starter for owner/breeder Panacea Stable and J Julius and Ingrid Bluemler, rode the rail and led all the way to win her debut in a maiden allowance around 2 turns in race 7. It was a super training feat of KEVIN ATTARD, who trained the white-faced filly to a T. She is by PRIDE OF NEW YORK, his first winner it appears, and out of A J’S WINDANCER.
And young Mr. Attard came right back with MERKABAH, by Theatrical-Chopinina, to win the allowance race 8 on the grass. This Knob HIll homebred had made a sensational debut in the winter in Florida and his 2nd race had been anxiously awaited. It was worth the wait as he battled on the pace through most of the 1 1/8 miles and then drew off to earn an 89 Beyer Figure.
And finally, THOROUGBLOG fans GT HEATER and co. won the last race with GO WEST G T GO, a Dance to Destiny filly who took the allowance event with a rail rush and then an angling out rally.
Abraham Katryan trains.
BITS FROM WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY at Woodbine
As mentioned in DAILY RACING FORM last weekend in the Saturday pull-out section by RON GIERKINK, the Polytrack at Woodbine has been wild in recent weeks with lots of changes in bias.
Wednesday night – inside and speed were big
(Note: enjoyed a nice night out at the track but the popular Champions restaurant often has a crush of people and there seems to be an alarming shortage of people working on these nights…)
DISTORTED LEGACY, a beautifully bred chstnut filly by Distorted Humor, was the first winner for trainer Barbara Minshall on Wed. night in the first race. More importantly, the filly looks like a good one as she was debuting around 2 turns in a B level maiden allowance and she ran greenly but won nicely under Luis Contreras. The Bruce Lunsford homebred (he has owned Vision and Verse, Madcap Escapade etc) is a half sister to stakes winner Vision and Verse who was 2nd in the Belmont.
Trainer BEV CHUBB is having a super year and her 3rd win came in race 2 with GABRIC, who was winning her 2nd straight race. The 4yo by Elajjud, owned by Spring Farm and Horsepower Racing, was winning an ONtario sired non-winners of 3.
Stakes winner SUGAR BAY can’t get lucky. The 5yo Syncline mare, owned by George Strawbridge, came off a 2 year layoff in May and she has now had 3 runner-up placings in succession.
On this evening, in the night’s featured event, an allowance/opt. claimer at 1 1/16 miles on turf, Sugar Bay had a tough trip in traffic and she closed fast but it was too late. IMPOSSIBLE TIME, a stakes winner this year making just her 2nd start on the turf, won her 6th in 12 races for Charles Fipke and trainer Roger Attfield. She is by Not Impossible.
It’s cool to see trainer MIKE PINO (43% wins) win a race with an ONtario bred. FREDDIE ANTEROS came from well back to win his maiden in race 5. He is by One Way Love out of City Mist by Carson City, bred by E. and D. Lugli. Pino has mostly claiming horses but Freddie won for maiden allowance and maybe Pino et all will go shopping at the local sale.
MESA CIELO, an Ontario bred for Dick Bonnycastle’s HARLEQUIN RANCHES, posted a 92 BEYER SPEED FIGURE when he won for $40K claiming by more than 8 lengths in race 6. The Sky Mesa fellow led all the way and romped for his 2nd win in 8 starts. He was wearing blinkers for the first time! CLARKSTONCHARM became the first winner for trainer for TOM BOWDEN in a long time. Bowden had been the farm trainer for Colebrook Farms for a while but he’s back and has Bradscot Farm’s sizy Tethra gelding in top form. He was 18 to 1 but rolled to the lead, went fast and won by a neck over a closing Iwilgotothemoon. The finale went to EXCHANGE BANDIT (Blinkers on!), a homebred for Ted Burnett’s Josham Farms who won his maiden in his 5th race for $16K. He is by Grand Reward. Mike Mattine trains. One person won $45,000 for picking all six winners in the Pick 6.
THURSDAY,
It was a good day for TERRY JORDAN, trainer of Hollywood Hit who races today. He won a pair with Peter Redekop’s RAKE AND A RAMBLER for $12,500 and SAFETY ZONE for $16,000. The latter was 2nd for $40,000 claiming in June in a key race and was taking a curious class drop. Claimed by James Redekop last year for $62,500, the 6yo gelding won for fun and was not claimed.
RADLIE LONEY sent out his first winner of the year with the well prepared CLASSICAL MELODY taking the 5th, a maiden race for $25K. The 4yo Alphabet Soup colt, bred by Adena Springs, had not raced since November when he was claimed for $16K from trainer Dale Capuano by the Bruno Bros. and A. Loney. He came from 13th with a wide rally to win in his 11th race.
How about this for a longshot? FLASHY GOT EVEN, making her 5th start on turf (her record going in was 0-0-0), won at 43 to 1 in a turf allowance over stakes horses. The Stephen Got Even gal is a half sister to none other than BIG RED MIKE, the Queen’s Plate winner, and she is owned by Dom Romeo’s Terra Farm and trained by Nick Gonzalez. The 4yo filly had been 5th or 6th in all 4 races this season on Polytrack.
TWISTED WIT EFFORT
Folks from around North America and trying to band together to get Canadian-bred stakes winner TWISTED WIT into OLD FRIENDS RETIREMENT, which has agreed to take the 9yo gelding when he is no longer racing. An earner of over $977,000 the gelding was beaten 6 lengths for just $5,000 claiming off a long layoff last weekend at Calder.
The Twisted Wit fan club, as it were, is looking for people to help out including his breeder and longtime owner. Please contact Thoroughblog if you can help.
FASIG TIPTON KENTUCKY KICKS OFF YEARLING SALES
LOCAL BUYER:
F SCAT DADDY GALORE BEAU LANE BLOODSTOCK AGENT SEAN
FITZHENRY $45,000
CANADIAN-BREDS SELLING:
79 C STEVIE WONDERBOY LOGICAL REASONING BELLA MARIA FARM
AGENT RAUT LLC $22,000
138 C SHAKESPEARE VIOLENT BEAUTY LANE’S END AGENT CIARAN DUNNE,
AGENT $55,000
148 F AWESOME AGAIN ADAMS THEATRE ADENA SPRINGS NOT SOLD ($67,000)
188 out
191 F CANDY RIDE (ARG) DANCEHALL FLOOZY HILL ‘N’ DALE SALES AGENCY
AGENT GLEN HILL FARM $100,000
196 C TIZNOW DIAMANT LADY ADENA SPRINGS NOT SOLD ($90,000)
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